This walking robot,
available from Images
Co., uses a small length
of BioMetal Fiber. Place
the walker on a nonslippery flat surface.
Press the switch on the
battery case for about
two seconds to widen
the leg angle. Release
the switch to make the
legs return to their
original position. Make
the robot move forward
by repeatedly pressing
and releasing the switch.
Price is $24.95. (A movie is available on the website.)

The key difference between this material and
standard Nitinol wire, for example, is this material
extends back to its original length when cooled down
(whereas Nitinol wire must be stretched back to its
original length by a biasing weight or spring).

Price is $29.95 and includes one BioMetal Fiber
(one meter long), four spectacle terminals, four eyelet
terminals, crimp sleeves, spring, and instructions.

The BioMetal Fiber (BMF) is a fiber-like actuator
(drive unit) designed to contract (tense) and extend
(relax) like muscles. The key feature of this product is its
flexible, smooth movements, like those of real life.
Although soft and pliable like a nylon thread under
normal conditions, it becomes stiff like a piano wire and
sharply contracts when a current is fed through it. If the
passage of a current is stopped, it will soften and extend
to its original length. The BMF can also be moved by
changing its temperature. It begins to contract when
heated to about 70°. If it is cooled to below the
temperature, it will return to its original length. Because
of its stable internal structure, the BMF has very high
durability and exhibits stable operating characteristics,

being thin but capable
of producing a
powerful force.

RoadNarrows introduces SkewlZone™, a suite of
products designed to augment legged robots.

Essentially, SkewlZone is an electronic brain and sensor
pack. By design, SkewlZone products are a generalized
system that can be used on many legged robots,
providing these robots with sensors and computing
power that walking robots on the market currently do
not have. Many of the popular legged robots operate
almost entirely in open-loop. That is, the robots have
no or limited sensory input from the environment
outside of servo position and speed data.
Manufacturer-supplied robot controllers are
usually dedicated for the real-time control of 17
or more servos. They have little access capacity
to process more complex sensory input from
the environment and integrate these input
streams with the current set of desired robot
behaviors and high-level goals. Augmenting a